Oil well reamer



PKH w, wm J. c. JONES 2,548,724

oIL WELL REAMER Filed Sept. 5, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l nventor Ju dsa/1 C. Jones attorney l J. C. JONES OIL WELL REAMER April 1o, 1951 2 -Sheets-.SheetI 2 Filed Sept. 5, 1947 y Judson C. Jones A l lll Gttomens Patented Apr. 10, 1951 UNITED s'rlvrlss PATENT OFFICE IL WELL BEAMER Judson C. Jones, Joplin, Mo., assi'gnor of one- K third to L. Ray Samer and one-third to Thelma M. Sanier, both of Joplin, Mo. Application September 5, 1947, Serial No. 772,241

This invention relates to an oil well reamer, and `one of the objects of the invention is to provide novel cutting means for reaming the well by rotative action of a shaft lowered longitudinally of the well.

Other objects o'f the present invention are to provide means whereby the cavity at the bottom of the well may be sufficiently reamed or enlarged for cleaning or other purposes; to provide means whereby the reamer may be introduced into the well with the reaming element in nonfunctioning position and at the completion of the reaming operation the reamer may be readily withdrawn from the well; to provide means for vertically adjusting the reamer within the well; to provide means for rotating the reamer within the well hole so that the reaming element will be effective for the purpose intended; to provide a plurality of cutters on the reamer; to provide a cutter which has cutting edges arranged so that the center leads the outer edges and the cutting edges are arranged in angular relationship to a line parallel to the axis of the cutter; to provide cutters on the reamer so that the rightand lefthand spirals start at the center of the cutter and extend to the side faces thereof; to provide means for fastening a coupling to the shaft to prevent the coupling from becoming loose on the shaft;

"and to provide a device of this character simple,

economical to manufacture and eihcient in operation.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: n

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the device in use.

Fig. 2 is a vertical partly sectional view of the cutter showing its connection to the shaft.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the coupling member and shaft. N

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the connection of the tapered pin and sleeve connection of the coupling member shown in disassembled relation.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the cutters.

Fig. 6 is a transverse cross section through one of thefcutters.

Fig. '7 is a transversecross section through the head on the lower end of the shaft showing the veccentric connection of the reamer shaft thereto.

Referring morein detail to the drawings:

I designates a wellcasing which may-be of any preferredconstruction but which isher'efshown as comprising a plurality of tubes or pipes and bel'ow the lowermost tube is a well cavity or hole 2 to beV reamed and cleaned. Located upon the ground 3 and adjacent the well casing is a staging or platform 4 on which is a gear step 5 supporting a beveled gear 6 meshing with a pinion gear l adapted to be driven by a shaft 8 in bearings I I .and I2, the 'shaft being rotated by a pulley I3 operative from a source of power (not shown).

The gearing step 5 carrying the gear 5 is provided with a collar Il!! having an outwardly projecting arm I5 and an upstanding post is adapte'd t contact with a shaft rotating lever I'I removably clamped toa tubular shaft I8 which may be of any appropriate length and which may be suspended from a yoke I9 supported by an appropriate hanger 20, the shaft I8 being slidable with respect to the gear 6, the rotation being effected through the upstanding post IB on the arm I5 which contacts with the horizontally 'adjustable lever arm I'I carried by the shaft I8.

The hanger comprises a yoke plate 20 centrally bored through which the tubular shaft I8 extends. 'Ihe yoke plate is provided with a boss 22 having a recessed portion provided with an annular groove 23 and an offset portion 24 providing an annular shoulder 25 internally threaded as indicated at 26. A sleeve member 2l adapted to extend through the centrally bored portion 2I of the yoke plate surrounds the tubular shaft I8, the lower end being threaded and adapted to receive a nut 28 to hold the shell in the plate. Theupper portion of the sleeve is provided with a collar or flange 29. A housing 3S of substantially cylindrical shape is provided with external threads 3I on its lower end adapted to engage the internal threads 26 of the boss 22. The collar 29 of the sleeve has an upstanding boss 32 and secured to the upper end of the tubular shaft i8 by a coupling member 33 is a shell 3&1 for fastening the coupling to the shaft to prevent the .coupling from working loose from the shaft I8. The shell is centrally bored and here shown'to be of substantially square cross section having sides substantially straight to about the center thereof asindicated at 35 (Fig. 3) then the opening is flared outwardly toward the bottom part thereof as best illustrated in Fig. 3, the top of the shell being shown of octagon-shape to receive a wrench or the like (not shown). The shell is threaded as indicated at 36 to engage with the threaded coupling 33 and the lower part isreduced as indicated at 31 to t inside the shaft I8 and this portion is provided with longitudinal grooves 38, which reduced portion of the sleeve may be roughened to engage the tube and the slots will allow the sleeve to expand against the inside of the shaft I8 in response to pressure of a pin 39 having a tapered portion 40 adapted to engage in the tapered portion of the sleeve and having its opposite end threaded as indicated at I 4I and adapted to receive a nut 42 for retaining the coupling member and tubular shaft together. A washer 42 is provided to prevent the nut 42 from slipping'into the opening of the shell. The shank 43 of the pin may be square to conform to the opening in the shell, the wedge or tapered portion 40 being drawn up by the nut 42 into the hole inthe shell causing the shell to expand at the bottom.

Located within the annular recessed portion 23 of the boss of the yoke plate is a thrust bearing race 44 and adapted to engage against the underneath side of the collar 29 of the shell is a bearing race 45, the facing sides of the races being provided with grooves forming a raceway for balls 46 forming an anti-friction thrust bearing for the collar and fastening of coupling 33 to the shaft I8. The lower face of the race 44 is spherical and adapted to seat in a spherical recess in the upper face of a collar 4l which seats in the recessed portion 23, thus forming a self-centering bearing and the space around the balls being lled with oil which has access to the sleeve to provide easy rotation of the yoke on the shaft.

Screw threadedly attached to the lower end of the tubular shaft I8 by a coupling 48 is a cylindrical member 49 on the lower end of which is a head 50 having a screw threaded shank 5I adapted to engage internal threads 52 on the cylindrical coupling member 49. The head 55 is rotatable through rotation of the tubular shaft I8 and is provided with a bifurcated portion in the form of a recess 52 on which is eccentrically mounted a shaft 53 pivoted to the head by a pin or the like 54.

Loosely mounted on the shaft 53 are a plurality of cutters 55, the lower cutter being recessed as indicated at 55. The lower end of the shaft 53 is provided with threads and adapted to receive a nut l, A washer 58 is provided between the nut and the cutter as illustrated in Fig. 2. A plug 59 is provided for closing the recessed portion of the lower barrel as best illustrated in Fig. 2. I also provide a pin 60 extending through the lower end of the shaft 53 and the nut to prevent displacement of the nut from the shaft and consequent loss of the cutter in the well hole. I also provide a space 5I between the nut and plug for supply of grease, if desired. The cutters are centrally bored as indicated at 62 (Fig. 5) so as to engage the shaft 53. I also preferably provide between each cutter a thin washer 63 (Fig. 2) for facilitating rotation of the cutters on the shaft.

The cutters are provided with a plurality of cutting edges 64 formed by curving the body 65 as indicated at 56, the cutting edges 64 facing in the same direction around the circumference of the body. The cutting edges 64 are arranged so that the center of the cutter leads the outer edges and the cutting edge is arranged in angular relationship to a line parallel to the axis of the cutter, the center portion 61 being thicker in cross section or extending outwardly a greater distance than the rest of the cutter and sloping toward the respective edges 68 and E9 of the cutter, thus forming a substantially right-hand spiral and a left-hand spiral starting at the center of the cutting edge and extending to the side faces of the cutter.

Operation of a device constructed and as'-A sembled substantially as described is as follows.

When it is desired to clean or ream a. well cavity, the device will be inserted through the casing I, suitable sections of the tubular shaft IB and shaft 53 being added to provide the desired length, the whole being lowered through the gear 5. The arm I1 will then be clamped on the tube I8 so as to be engaged by the post l5 as it rotates horizontally about the axis of the gear 6. Power will then be applied to the pulley I3, through the shaft II and pinion 1 and the gear 5 will be rotated. As the tube I8 is rotated carrying with it the reamer cutter 55 on the shaft 53, the shaft being eccentrically mounted on the head 59, the reamer and cutter will contact the walls of the well cavity to enlarge the saine, the cutting edges 64 of the cutter 55 contacting the well cavity to loosen the material so that it may be removed from the well hole. The cutters will rotate on the shaft 53 and the angle effect of the cutting blades will cause a shearing action of the material to pass the same to the reduced space I0 between the respective cutters.

The reamer may be raised and lowered during the rearning operation through the medium of the yoke I9, the length of the post I6 permitting a limited movement of the reamer because the reamer will be rotated with the arm I'l in any position between the ends of the post I6. If it is desired to lower the reamer to a position in excess of the length of the arm I6, the arm I'I will be loosened and adjusted for this purpose.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that my improved oil well reamer may be easily introduced into the well and upon rotating the reamer by means of the gear, the reamer will be thrown against the walls of the well by centrifugal force, thereby cutting the walls back and leaving a new surface, and upon completion of the work, stopping rotation of the reamer will cause the reamer to automatically assume a vertical position Whereby the tool may be withdrawn from the well.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an oil well reamer, a plurality of roller cutters rotatable about a central axis, the ends of said roller cutters being formed by planes transversely of the central axis, each of said cutters being 'cylindrical and having a plurality of equally spaced identical peripheral teeth, and cutting edges on said teeth in the periphery of the cutter, said cutting edges being oppositely inclined relative to a central transverse plane through the cutter whereby the portion of the cutting edges adjacent the central plane leads the portion of the cutting edges adjacent the ends of the respective cutters, said teeth being inclined downwardly and backwardly from the peripheral vcutting edges.

2. In an oil well reamer including a rod adapted to be eccentrically mounted on a head suspended from a shaft rotatable by a source of power in a well hole, a plurality of cylindrical roller cutters rotatably mounted on said rod, said cutters having elongated body portions and a plurality of equally spaced identical peripheral teeth, and cutting edges on said teeth in the periphery of the cutter, said cutting edges being oppositely inclined relative to a centraltransverse plane through the body of the cutter whereby the portions of the cutting edges adjacent the central plane lead the portions adjacent the ends of the respective cutters, said teeth being inclined down- 5 wardly and backwardly from the peripheral cutting edges.

3. In an oil well reamer including a rod adapted to be eccentrically mounted on a, head suspended from a shaft rotatable by a source of power in a well hole, a plurality of cylindrical roller cutters rotatably mounted on said rod for rotation about the longitudinal aXis thereof, said lowermost cutter having a counterbore extending therein, means in the counterbore removably mounted on the lower end of the rod for retaining the cutters on said rod, said cutters having elongated body portions and a plurality of equally spaced identical peripheral teeth, and cutting edges on said teeth in the periphery of the cutters, said cutting edges being oppositely inclined relative to a central transverse plane through the body of the respective cutter whereby the portions of the cutting edges adjacent the central plane lead the portions adjacent the ends of the respective cutters, said teeth being inclined downwardly and backwardly from the peripheral cutting edges.

JUDSON C. JONES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

